1. Field of Invention
The present invention is related to automated self-service systems for processing and storing items such as letters and packages for subsequent shipment by a commercial carrier.
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2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, many commercial carriers such as the United States Postal Office and Federal Express, for example, provide drop boxes whereby individuals may ship their letters or packages without having to travel to the carrier's particular shipping station. A disadvantage of this system is that such boxes cannot be used where the item must be weighed prior to shipping in order to calculate the cost. Another disadvantage is that often the user must have a pre-assigned charge account, or he or she must use a specialized mailing envelope. In addition, the types of mail services from which a user may wish to use are very limited.
While perhaps not widely used commercially, there are several types of automated self-service mailing machines for processing mail for shipment described in various U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,532 to Ramsden, for example, is directed to a mailing system which allows a user to process and store mail items for subsequent pick-up by a commercial carrier. In particular, the user is able to enter identification information into the system for purposes of payment, enter destination information for shipment, weigh the item, obtain a charge for shipping the item, and deposit the item into a locked storage area. The system contains an intermediate deposit area ("secured deposit means") which is separated by two inner doors from the storage area. The system contains an electronic scale separate from the intermediate deposit area. After the item is weighed, it is placed into the intermediate deposit area. Once the user closes an outer door to the intermediate area, the item is moved through the inner doors by a series of rollers into a storage area. While this reference suggests the re-weighing of the item to obtain an accurate weight, there is no mechanism to prevent the user from weighing a lighter object to obtain a low cost, and then placing into the intermediate deposit area the heavier item to be shipped.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,065,000 ("'000"), 4,923,022 ("'022"), and 5,025,386 ("'386") to Pusic are also directed to automated mail systems designed to process and store items, in particular letters. The systems described in these references contain internal weighing means and means for printing machine-readable information (i.e. bar codes) onto the item to be mailed. These references do not appear to teach or suggest a single, rotatable postage meter for generating and dispensing postage meter stamps or strips, nor do they teach a weighing scale capable of detecting minute vibrations that will not operate until such vibrations are absent. Moreover, the references do not teach a tracking bar code verification system to verify that a letter has a tracking bar code or a readable tracking bar code on it.
Thus, it is desirable to have an automatic self-service mail processing and shipping system that allows a user to weigh the mail item securely and accurately to prevent tampering, select from several different mail services (e.g. package or letter, First Class or International), calculate and pay the charge for shipping, obtain a receipt, securely store the item for subsequent pick-up by a commercial carrier, and that is fully capable of processing and storing packages as well as letters. It is also desireable to have a system that includes a single postage meter that is capable of printing a stamp directly onto a letter as well as dispense a postage meter strip for subsequent affixation onto a package or letter.
Certain carriers, such as the United Parcel Service and Federal Express, for example, require that tracking bar codes be placed onto the letters or packages. It is therefore also desirable to have a system that is capable of not only generating a tracking bar code for affixation onto a shipping item, but also have a means for verifying that the item contains the required tracking bar code or contains a tracking bar code that can be read or detected by a bar code scanner.